<p>Harrison George presents you a conversation of a journalist and policemen, regarding news reporting.</p>

<p>A recent governmental decree banning the distribution of &ldquo;fake news&rdquo; has left local media associations and a legal watchdog concerned that the effort will limit public internet access.</p>

<p>Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha issued on Thursday (29 July) a new order under the Emergency Decree banning distribution of information causing public fear or misinformation.</p>

<p>6 leading Thai professional media associations&nbsp;issued a statement condemning what they consider an official assault on the Thai public&rsquo;s right to good information as well as freedom of expression in general.</p>

<p>Three reporters were injured during the protest on Sunday (18 July), after being hit with rubber bullets, despite wearing visible press armbands and ID cards.</p>

<p>The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) ordered the MVTV company to pay a fine of 50,000 baht for airing Voice TV&rsquo;s &ldquo;Voice Go&rdquo; programme, claiming that the content of the programme affects national security.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>203 media and creative practitioners have signed a statement establishing the Thai Media for Democracy Alliance (DemAll) to promote democratic governance, freedom and mutual support for each other.</p>

<p>A police officer allegedly involved in the arrest of Prachatai reporter Kitti Pantapak during the crackdown on the 16 October 2020 Pathumwan intersection protest has claimed that he arrested Kitti because Kitti violated police orders by coming close to police lines, and that he was not able to distinguish Kitti from the protesters.</p>

<p>Thailand has been ranked 137th in Reporters Without Borders (RSF)&rsquo;s <a href="https://rsf.org/en/2021-world-press-freedom-index-journalism-vaccine-against-disinformation-blocked-more-130-countries">2021 World Press Freedom Index</a>, three places above its <a href="https://rsf.org/en/2020-world-press-freedom-index-entering-decisive-decade-journalism-exacerbated-coronavirus">2020 ranking</a> at 140th, while the Covid-19 pandemic has been used to obstruct press freedom in many countries</p>

<p>Journalists and media workers face an increasingly repressive legal landscape amidst the Covid-19 pandemic in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, as outlined by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in a submission to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).</p>

<p>A panel discussion preceding a press screening of the Romanian documentary Collective highlights the obstacles facing investigative journalists in Thailand.</p>

<p>The Foreign Correspondents&#39; Club of Thailand (FCCT) issued a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FCCThailand/posts/3852291768189078">statement</a> following the protest on Saturday (20 March), during which several journalists were shot with rubber bullets, calling for the authorities to review their crowd control procedures and to take care not to use force on working journalists.&nbsp;</p>